Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[OHfarmerswife]

Allow her the option... if she doesn't get up when you open the door then let her be.  Since she has food and water available in her enclosure she can get it if/when she wants.  They are regulating temps and humidity in their own sort of 'lock down', so allow them to decide when they want up.

Thanks. I usually have to move her off the eggs, then she will go outside.

I will leave her alone these last few days.

Thanks again!

 

[bobbieschicks]

My broody went to the nest box tonight instead of the roost , after being out all day,  after I took her eggs and cleaned out the nest......hopeful she will forget about it and get on with normal life and put some weight on for next time! 
I have some chicks that are 5 or 6 weeks old..she was VERY interested in them so I let into their pen. She found "stuff" and seemed to call them at times, but would peck and "attack" them here and there.... I would remove her from the pen because of her "bad"  behavior, and she would pace the fence clucking until I let her back in with them. The chicks are roosting in the same area as my year old flock but with a fence between...she wanted to be on the chick side of the fence.  Would she take the chicks possibly even though they are so old and not  "hers" ?   Should I nurture it or cut it off, she is at this time separating herself from her previous flock and sticking around with the chicks. I do not want her to lose her place in her flock.  Not sure what to do, has anyone had this experience?

You can certainly try it, but keep plan B ready. Like was previously mentioned it is more likely the chicks won't respond to her so she will peck them to get them to listen. If there's too much pecking and not enough bonding I'd call it quits.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thanks. I usually have to move her off the eggs, then she will go outside.

I will leave her alone these last few days.

Thanks again!

I haven't moved Bunny off since around day 5 to remove the egg off her underside. I just leave her alone. Occasionally I'll find her with the others in the yard, but she quickly hightails it back to her nest.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I read here that the problem is usually the chicks not responding to her once they're more than a few days old. I would think your 5 week olds would not accept her as the mama hen. But I don't know why it would be a problem for her to hang around them, as long as she's not hurting them.

I just checked on my eggs due to hatch today, and the one I pulled out that was closest to the "edge" had little lines scratched into the outside of the shell. Is this from the chick trying to get out, possibly? Or scratches from the broody's claws? It looks like if I were to take my fingernail and scrape the egg (it's a dark one), but jagged-y like the egg was cracked (although when I felt it it was still totally firm).

Probably from her rolling it. I would quit touching them from day 17 until day 25. She is turning them and prepping them to hatch.

 

[3 NH reds]

Keeping my fingers crossed for Bunny!
Thursday will be day 21 for my broody.
It has been cold here in Ohio, so I should keep going
till day 25?

I would I had one hatch last week at day 24. I had almost shut down the incubator the night before.

 

[6peeps]

What is the best food to feed a broody hen?

 

[gg706]

Thank You for the advice on my broody. I guess I will let her in with them if she wants to be in there. If she gets too aggressive she will have to banned from the chick pen! Her pecking them because they are not listening makes complete sense. She seemed to call them like the rooster does to his hens and she would look over at them and point out the food, then after a minute or so she would run over to them and peck one of them.

 

[lawatt]

my basque broody Eleanor, now sitting on 10 eggs (since saturday afternoon) -- so exciting!!

 

[chickenmomma16]

my basque broody Eleanor, now sitting on 10 eggs (since Saturday afternoon) -- so exciting!!

Congrats! She looks like she is taking her job seriously... Gorgeous girl.


I just had a second Austra White hen go broody so I gave her 5 Bronze turkey eggs last night.

 

[bobbieschicks]

What is the best food to feed a broody hen?

Broody can eat her normal feed and will usually eat less of it. When the chicks hatch it's best to let mom and babies all eat either chick starter or flock raiser, nonmedicated version. She can eat the medicated if that's all you have.